1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for connecting computer devices and, more specifically, where the apparatus comprises a first connector, a cable assembly, a converter adapter and a second connector.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a host or local mainframe computer or mainframe 2 connected to a first remote peripheral device or peripheral 4 which in turn is connected to a second remote peripheral device or peripheral 6 in a typical conventional manner. A pair of conventional bus and tag electrical assemblies 8 and 10, respectively, interconnect one channel between the mainframe 2 and the first peripheral 4. Similarly, a pair of conventional bus and tag electrical assemblies 8 and 10, respectively, interconnect one channel between the first peripheral 4 and the second peripheral 6. The bus and tag electrical assemblies 8 and 10 include a plurality of bus and tag lines. The bus lines are used to transmit information including data, I/O-device address, commands, and control information. The tag lines are used for interlocking and controlling information on the bus lines and for special sequences. For a more detailed description of the bus and tag lines and their uses see Publication GA22-6974-09 entitled International Business Machines (IBM) System/360 and System/370 I/O Interface Channel to Control Unit Original Equipment Manufacturers' Information. Additional peripherals can be connected in series to the second peripheral 6 in a similar manner.
The mainframe 2 represents an IBM 360, 370, 43XX, 30XX, or ES/9000 mainframe computer, or a plug compatible mainframe. The peripherals 4,6 are plug compatible with the mainframe 2 and can be disk drives, tape drives, servers, printers or the like. The mainframe 2 and peripherals 4, 6 have internal bus and tag serpent connectors 12-19, respectively, which mate with corresponding bus and tag serpent connectors 22-29, respectively, on ends of the electrical assemblies 8,10. The internal bus and tag serpent connectors 12-19 may be adapters which convert a first or external wiring/terminal connection scheme, grid or geometry to a second or internal wiring/terminal scheme, grid or geometry. For instance, the adapters 12-19 may convert from a spacing of 0.250 inches between centers of adjacent ones of a first or external plurality of rows and columns of terminals to a spacing of 0.125 inches between centers of adjacent ones of a second or internal plurality of rows and columns of terminals. The first or external terminals have serpent contacts for mating with serpent contacts in the bus and tag serpent connectors 22-29 on the electrical assemblies 8, 10. The serpent contacts are hermaphroditic or gender neutral as defined in Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) publication 60-2 published Jul. 29, 1983 entitled I/O Channel Interface. The serpent adapters are also defined in IBM Publication GA22-6974-09 previously mentioned. The adapters 12-19 may be as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,284.
Conventional bus and tag serpent connectors 22-29 on the electrical assemblies 8,10 do not convert the wiring/terminal connection scheme, grid or geometry. Conventional bus and tag serpent connectors 22-29 comprise a plurality of rows and columns of terminals. One end of the terminals have serpent contacts spaced 0.250 inches apart center to center for mating with the serpent contacts in the bus and tag serpent adapters 12-19 on the mainframe 2 or peripheral 4,6. The other end of the terminals in the conventional bus and tag serpent connectors 22-29 are also spaced 0.250 inches apart center to center and are soldered to ends of wires terminating from an "elephant" cable 20 having about a 0.8-1 inch diameter and containing a plurality of about 20 coaxial cables. One such elephant cable 20 is needed to transmit data between the mainframe 2 and peripheral 4, or one peripheral 4 and another peripheral 6, and is included in the bus cable assembly 8. Another such elephant cable 20 is needed to transmit control signals instructing how to handle the data and is included in the tag cable assembly 10. The elephant cables 20 are very heavy, bulky and limited in permissible length. Conventional bus and tag cable assemblies 8,10 allow only an attachment cable distance of up to 400 feet from the mainframe 2 to the last peripheral on the channel.
To accommodate the heavy and bulky elephant cables 20, computer rooms are specifically built with raised computer room flooring to run and store the cables 20 beneath the raised flooring. This hides the cables, but makes relocating the computers 2 and peripherals 4,6 very difficult without cutting and abandoning the initial cables 20.